The Military is Making Hybrid Dirtbikes for Silent Special Ops

DARPA (the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) generally funds some of the coolest engineering projects on earth, all in the name of science and defense. Giving new meaning to the term silent but deadly, they've just unveiled plans for a hybrid dirt bike designed for Army-types to cross deserts at 70 mph in near silence.

At its core, the bike has a chassis by electric bike manufacturer BRD (shown here), combined with a multi-fuel hybrid powertrain originally designed to go in an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle. According to BRD, the hybrid drivetrain enables better throttle control in confined areas on dirt, and the silence of electric mode has self-evident benefits for special forces.


Aaron Miller is the Rides editor for Supercompressor. He'd love to see this hit civilian hands, and thinks silent motocross would be a great showcase for it.